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Talos
Talos, situated on the South Western corner of Toor, is one of the largest known countries. Founded almost as soon as the revolution against Pyre began, Talos is easily the oldest country to come out of the revolution.Talos learned from it's predecessor, and when it was created, an extremely strict caste system was produced. They ensured that their civilization would never fall due to a slave result, or any revolt for that matter. Numerous political and military checks and balances have been instituted in such as way so as to lock all peoples into their caste, and ensure they never come out. It didn't take long for this stringent rule to become an outright police state, with the military - commanded by the original 10 houses, controlling all aspects of law and order. The 9 Houses, with their borders and population secure, began to delegate duties amongst themselves, as described below. 'Notable Houses ' House Kadath: Manages the Royal Treasury, and all matters related to the economy. Their expertise has steered Talos to an age of great prosperity by capitalizing on the relative unorganized nature of the other countries. Their symbol is that of a pair of scales, on one side is a gold coin, and on the other is a heart. Their words are "A coin at home, a coin in the pocket" Honorable, TN Preferred Class Bard House Lumen: The task of dealing with all affairs related to magic was given. The magic of House Lumen has secured the safety and competitiveness of the Talosian people for generations, and continues to be an envy of the world. These individuals live in massive spires in every major city, called Towers of Illumination, only those of House Lumen may enter. When an unauthorized person uses magic, House Lumen always sends one of it's mages with an inquisitor from House Avil to aid in the execution. Their symbol is of two dragons - one black, one purple, consuming it's others tails, wrapped around the Eye of Horus. Their words are "Power from knowledge" Honorable, CN Preferred Class Wizard House Cadence: Tasked with sustaining the nation with plentiful amounts of food. They did this and more. Across the world, the farmers of House Cadence are sought for their expertise (of course never lending it without hefty tolls, if at all). Their symbol is of a scythe crossed with a hoe. Their words are "Sow, then reap" Honorable, LN Preferred Class Druid House Sanan: was tasked with foreign affairs. The emissaries of this house are present in the capital of every major city across the world. They have solidified the position of their country with stalwart resolve, and are canny negotiators. They are also highly feared though; they the founders and rulers of the Peace Makers, known more commonly as the Reapers. An elite guild of assassins that turn assassination into a legitimate business, complete with writs to enforce the rules of the business, the Peace Makers are the puppets of House Sanan, and make the house arguably one of (if not the) most powerful houses in Talos. Their symbol is a panther, pierced by nine daggers. Their words are "Strike with intention" Dishonorable, CE Preferred Class Ninja House Avil: Was tasked with the task of domestic peace - law enforcement. Every guard on every street in Talos is a member of House Avil - and they take great pride in their work, often calling themselves the only line of defense between Talos and total chaos. Corruption within House Avil is tolerated so little that those proven of being corrupt often have brutal, excruciating examples made of them through public executions that can last hours. This zealot-like dedication to purity of cause has elevated House Avil to a place of great respect among the common people. Often House Avil is the only house that the peasantry respects in a city. House Avil is also at the head of the Inquisitors - a group of powerful mage hunters, who track down and exterminate those who are not members of House Lumen, yet practice magic within the borders of Talos. Their symbol is of a flaming hammer overlaid on top of a shield. Their words are "Keep the order" Honorable, LG Preferred Class Fighter House Tannant: Was given the duty of maintaining the nation's navy, and has done so with amazing skill. Occasionally joked as being everywhere at once, the vast armada of House Tannant has kept the shores of Talos safe since it's inception. Their symbol is an anchor overlaid on top of a schooner. Their words are "Ever present" Honorable, NE Preferred Class Swashbuckler House Xan: Was tasked with civil and military justice, in the form of judges and law. While House Avil is called the enforcer of the law, House Xan are the writers and interrupters of the law. Unlike it's very stalwart sister house, Avil, Xan is known for being very easily corrupted. Judges can be bought off with enough coinage, and this naturally generates a large amount of friction between House Xan and House Avil. Their symbol is of a gavel. Their words are "Justice at any price" Dishonorable, LE Preferred Class Monk House Creed: The task of engineering the empire was given. All professional engineers within Talos are members of House Creed. These engineers have designed and constructed the greatest buildings in Talos, including the capital city of Talon. Their symbol is that of a hammer and chisel. Their words are "Strike last; strike best" Dishonorable, TN Preferred Class Rogue House Orlen: Was given the full force of Talos' land army. All non-naval military personnel are members of House Orlen. They are brutal, efficient, and not afraid to spill blood on a mass scale. This house has secured Talos' interests for 250 years, and continues to do so with an immense amount of pride and dedication to the houses. Their symbol is a sword and mace, forming a cross in front of a shield, behind which two spears are crossed into an X. Their words are "For the greater good" Dishonorable, LE Preferred Class Fighter 'Notable Cities ' Talon: The capital city of Talos, Talon is a massive city housing 400,000 people. It's walls are incredibly large, standing at over 25 feet in height, and with a width of over 9 feet. They are made from stone that has been reinforced with iron bars. Talos is the head of all 9 houses, and it's Royal Palace serves as the meeting place for the heads of each house. The palace itself dominates the skyline, with 9 towers that rise up to over 100 meters, encircling a large domed room where the Council of Nine hands down verdicts and decisions. It is split into two distinct sections; the Noble City, an enclosed portion of the city that houses the nobles of Talos, it possess immense security, with twelve guards for every one outside of it's walls (not including the private guards that the individual houses employ). Outside of Noble City (located dead center of the city) is the Outer City, a large collection of very mismatched neighborhoods and buildings, where slums can turn into upscale housing after only a block or two. A large amount of friction exists in these towns. Firebrand: The second largest city in Talos, rolling in at a staggering 350,000 individuals, Firebrand gets its name from the literal river of magma that flows through the center of the city. A channel dug out to allow the magma to pass by the city has become a permanent feature to drain the excess magma into the nearby ocean, due to the fact that the magma has never stopped flowing. Life within the city ranges from "hot" to "broiling" depending on where one is. This magma comes out of the massive volcano just south of the city, called Godspeak. The magma is used as a source of energy by many smiths in the city, who built their forges so that the blast furnace literally has magma running right below it. Pincer: The naval headquarters of Talos, Pincer has an incredibly array of docks and dry docks, that allow it to build and store more naval force than the nation could possibly ever need. Over 60% of the city is composed of House Tannant members; mostly naval engineers and sailors. Claw: The northernmost large city of Talos, Claw houses 200,000 residents, and has the dubious honor of being the seat of the Peace Keeper's power. Their main guild house is located in Claw. Fang: Housing 200,000 individuals, plus another 100,000 military personnel, Fang is the military hub of Talos. House Orlen manages this city, composing over 75% of it's inhabitants. IT is heavily fortified, seemingly ready for a war with their neighbor, Ader. 'Notable Laws' Magic is banned from use by all those who are not members of House Lumen. Transgressors are viciously hunted down; a 1,000 gold stipend is given to those who reveal the identity of an unauthorized magic user. Slavery is illegal. The economy is based on gold. Owning land is impossible for foreigners, since they are not members of any house. 'Notable Culture' An extremely strict class structure, which the Houses control. People absolutely do not migrate between houses, and dedication to one's house is akin to dedication to one's family. The commoners are looked down upon, and held in place by a strict system of education; it is widely known that the patron god of Talos, Talonianus has mandated this class structure, and to go against it would be to go against the will of God. The primary deity in Talos is the Talonianus, a LN deity whose domains are Law and Protection. Talos presents many police state characteristics. The military have rank just a smidgen below equivalent House Avil members. 'Notable Bloodlines' ' Vier': The Vier bloodline pops up from time to time within house Avil, and Creed. Those who demonstrate this bloodline often develop draconic flesh, mirroring that of their ancient draconic father. Sebian: The Sebian bloodline is not attached to any one house. It is a rare bloodline and usually the father leaves before the child is born, so they must discover their roots themselves. Members of this bloodline can control fire. Irukan: The Irukan bloodline only manifests in house Xan. Members of this bloodline can manipulate the minds of other people. Orbash: The Orbash bloodline only manifests in house Tannant. Those of this bloodline can teleport.